I'll read anything by Paul Boutin, even over on Valleywag. He has a good blog post on Wired called Twitter, Flickr, Facebook Make Blogs Look So 2004. He starts off with this:
Thinking about launching your own blog? Here's some friendly advice: Don't. And if you've already got one, pull the plug.
Writing a weblog today isn't the bright idea it was four years ago. The blogosphere, once a freshwater oasis of folksy self-expression and clever thought, has been flooded by a tsunami of paid bilge. Cut-rate journalists and underground marketing campaigns now drown out the authentic voices of amateur wordsmiths. It's almost impossible to get noticed, except by hecklers.
Amen.
He ties this all into Jason giving up blogging, but I think personal blogs and lifestreaming over Twitter still have benefits for individuals -- even for Jason.
I don't think Paul took the "blogs are dead" thing far enough. He's just saying that personal blogs can't complete in the rankings against large professional team blogs published by media companies.
I wish he had said that anyone starting even a large professional group blog on a pure blogging platform today is several years too late and shouldn't bother.
Then I'd give him a double amen.
GrimJack
EZ Street
Jon Sable, Freelance
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jeremy 517 days ago
its not about being noticed-- its about being found. i maintain my blog so potential employers, etc, can find me when they google my name.
Brian Alvey 517 days ago
Exactly. I think personal blogs and personal branding are very important.
I agree with Paul that they'll never crack the top 100 now since enterprise blogging dominates, but at the same time I think enterprise blogging is a dead end. ;-)